The Hidden Cost of ‘Good Enough’ Technology

Most organizations don’t replace technology because it breaks — they replace it because “good enough” has quietly become expensive.
A laptop still turns on. The network still connects. The printer still prints. On the surface, everything looks fine. Underneath, small inefficiencies are adding up in wait times, support tickets, security risks, and delayed projects.
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A few numbers that may feel familiar:

  • 64% of CEOs worry that outdated IT is weakening their organization
  • 44% of mission-critical infrastructure is nearing or has reached end-of-life
  • The average cost of a single hour of unplanned downtime exceeds $300,000
  • Nearly half of employees lose 1–5 hours of productivity every week to IT issues
We put together a short practical guide for IT and operations leaders: “7 Signs Your Technology Environment May Be Costing More Than You Think.”
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The seven signs to watch for:
  1. Applications take longer to load
  2. IT spends more time troubleshooting aging hardware and software
  3. Security risk rises as systems fall out of support and patch cycles
  4. Productivity drops in ways that are hard to measure
  5. Future projects get delayed by current infrastructure limitations
  6. Devices survive on repairs rather than reliability
  7. No one owns the replacement decision — so it only happens after a failure
None of these signs is dramatic on its own. Together, they describe an environment that costs more every quarter.
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Glacier Computer has spent 25 years evaluating, deploying, and supporting technology in demanding environments (warehouse, logistics, cold storage, manufacturing, public safety, field service, and more). We offer a free IT & fleet assessment that covers:
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  • Current device performance, age, and support status
  • Security, compliance, and lifecycle risk
  • A clear recommendation: refresh, repair, or replace
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You can request the assessment here: glaciercomputer.com/contactus, reply to this email, or call 866.724.6257.
We are happy to walk through the seven signs with you and see where the biggest opportunities (or risks) sit in your environment.
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Check out the lineup of rugged tablets, handhelds, laptops, scanners, or mounted terminals. Glacier also offers Intrinsically Safe and AI-ready devices, as well as Managed Services. Ask us about how Glacier solutions can help your business grow in almost any environment.

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The Intelligent Forklift

The Intelligent Forklift

A Brief about the Interaction of Two Dissimilar Technologies that Converge at the Forklift

As forklifts begin to emerge from being the last frontier of technology change in the warehouse, an evolution begins to take place at the most unexpected but most logical place:  The Intelligent Forklift. Understanding this convergence opens a new era for those technologies that are dependent on the data collection activities that are resident on the forklift.

The term Smart “x” is the new standard when referring to cars, phones, hospital beds and now forklifts.  Each has their own set of circumstances that qualify for this honor.  The forklift and its constituents are our primary focus in this primer. Taking a closer look at those players, we have the following:

Forklift Manufacturer – Many players in this arena answer the call of electric vs. gas, stationary vs. mobile, manned vs. unmanned, etc.  There are many companies participating in this portion of the market:  Crown, Raymond, Jungheinrich, Hyster, Caterpillar, just to name a few.  All supplying the basic functionality of a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials short distances.

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Need to Jump Start A Project? Try This.

Jon Bell over at medium.com has presented an interesting solution to an often vexing problem.   The problem is “getting started.”  Trying to get your team, or just yourself, out of the gate and moving forward.  Whether you are in  search of a new idea, trying to develop a plan, or just deciding where to go to lunch, getting out the door can be a challenge.  To address this mental roadblock, Jon uses what he calls “McDonald’s Theory.”

Jon Explains…

I use a trick with co-workers when we’re trying to decide where to eat for lunch and no one has any ideas. I recommend McDonald’s.

An interesting thing happens. Everyone unanimously agrees that we can’t possibly go to McDonald’s, and better lunch suggestions emerge. Magic!

It’s as if we’ve broken the ice with the worst possible idea, and now that the discussion has started, people suddenly get very creative. I call it the McDonald’s Theory: people are inspired to come up with good ideas to ward off bad ones.

I have a warm spot in my stomach for McDonald’s so that might not work for me, and this would never work on a group of high school kids, but in the business world this idea has merit; doing anything to start the process is always better than doing nothing.  And if you have the sense, or even just the courage, to risk coming up with the worst possible idea, just so you can stimulate better ones, then that’s called leadership.

More from Jon..

The next time you have an idea rolling around in your head, find the courage to quiet your inner critic just long enough to get a piece of paper and a pen, then just start sketching it. “But I don’t have a long time for this!” you might think. Or, “The idea is probably stupid,” or, “Maybe I’ll go online and click around for—”

No. Shut up. Stop sabotaging yourself.

The same goes for groups of people at work. The next time a project is being discussed in its early stages, grab a marker, go to the board, and throw something up there. The idea will probably be stupid, but that’s good! McDonald’s Theory teaches us that it will trigger the group into action.

You have to be out in front to lead.  So get out there.  Lead.  Right after you have some lunch.